Wireless service providers are continually seeking new ways to expand wireless services (e.g., cellular services) and to maximize the capabilities and value of current wireless infrastructure. Thus, there have been efforts in the telecommunications industry to integrate the capabilities of conventional wide-area cellular networks (e.g., CDMA, GSM, UMTS, TDMA, etc.) and other types of networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). These efforts have resulted in a relatively new class of wireless terminal devices known as “multi-mode” devices.
A multi-mode user device includes interfaces for communicating with more than one wireless network. Another term used to refer to multi-mode devices is “dual-mode device”. The term dual-mode device refers generally to a user device that is capable of communicating with two different wireless networks, and it is frequently used synonymously with the term multi-mode terminal device.
Wireless multi-mode terminal devices represent a significant advance in wireless communications because they allow a single device to conveniently access services available on different networks.
In spite of the advantages of multi-mode terminal devices, there are a substantial number of wireless devices currently in use that are not capable of directly communicating with wide-area cellular networks. These wireless devices include single-mode terminal devices operating on WLANs, such as WiFi networks (e.g., IEEE-802.11a/b/g). Such non-cellular wireless devices are unlikely to be fully displaced by the emergence of multi-mode wireless devices because both device types typically address different market needs. In some instances, however, there may be an overlap in service needs, and thus, it would be desirable to offer cellular services to non-cellular, non-multi-mode wireless devices.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus, system and/or method that allows a terminal device operating on a first wireless network, such as a WLAN, to access services available from a second wireless network, e.g., a wide-area cellular network.